Leadership Styles
, Candice Birks, Miranda Cauthen, Charles Goady, Ernest Munoz Shauna M. Vinson
Northwood University
Leadership MBA-612
Tara Peters, Ph.D.
October 28, 2015

Abstract

Through our writings for the group assignment, we will detail the emotional intelligence of one main character. We will be expressing contrasting approaches in which two characters exhibit from the chosen movie, "The Matrix". Lastly, we will touch on the additional course concepts from the psychological contract piece of the readings and tell how it was represented, in the movie, through Cypher and Morpheus.

Introduction
In the movie, The Matrix, several characters make up this thought provoking movie. The focus takes place between a ship inhabited by humans who are fighting against a computer program. This program simulates what appears to be very realistic lives of people that live on earth. However, early in the movie, it is revealed, “the machines’ and computer programs called “agents” are a real threat to the remainder of humanity. The primary set of characters takes us through the past, present and future of humankind’s war against technology. Technology that is being used to oppress rather than empower. The following characters this paper will focus on are: Trinity, Neo, Agent Smith, Cypher and Morpheus. Trinity is a hacker who escaped from “The Matrix.” Agent Smith is the most unique of the other agents. Smith is doggedly determined to maintain and uphold the program, as he believe it keeps the necessary balance to control humans. Morpheus is a passionate inspirational leader and a teacher who strives to influence others not to succumb to the regime of the program. Neo, is a naïve, computer programmer who continues to be the outcast. His awkward demeanor actually lends to what is revealed later as a higher level of thinking; beyond the modus operandi. Deeper into movie the relationships between the character reveals the intricacies of how the characters became a part of such an integral part of history. The movie has very noticeable Biblical themes as well. There are times when the viewer can vividly see the representation of God, the theme of being “born again” and the challenges, as well as, benefits of finding salvation. The character, Trinity, is an example of this as her actions reference a “three-in-one” type of being such as, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The aforementioned characters will be used to describe aspects of emotional intelligence, contrasting approaches to help motivate others, and the effects of a psychological contract. The characters described above will be broken down to answer these questions in full.
Emotional Intelligence Even though there were many of main characters that could have been chosen by the group to discuss emotional intelligence, Trinity was the chosen character. Trinity was a strong female character, who displayed a high level of EQ (Emotional Quotient) throughout the majority of the movie. She was able to control her emotions, as stated in the article “Leadership and Intelligence”. Components of EQ are recognizing one’s own emotions, managing these emotions appropriately and having productive self-talk out of emotional hijackings (Clawson, 2001, pg.4). Trinity’s character was atypical of the societal stereotype, which describes women as highly emotionally, and irrational beings. When it comes to SQ ( Social Quotient), the article “Leadership and Intelligence” states, “components of social intelligence is recognizing emotions in others, listening, caring about the emotional state of others and helping others manage their emotions” (Clawson, 2001, pg.8). Trinity exhibits social quotient in numerous ways. Her cohort of the underworld depended on her. The group saw her as second in command, behind Morpheus and looked to her for guidance. A good example of this is in the scene when, Cypher begins unplugging the other members of the underworld crew of the Nebuchadnezzar, killing them off one by one. Trinity realizes his portrayal (emotional state), prior to him killing Apoc and Switch. In her ability to hold on her emotions and love for Neo, until he died. At one point in the movie, Trinity was placed in the position to feel forced to confess her love and true emotions for Neo when she chose an emotional moment to kiss Neo him back to life. From this, her CQ (Change Quotient) level was revealed. She recognized the need for change; mastering the need to change processes as displayed when she began being open about her desire for Neo. Trinity’s style of level of intelligence is very effective in how she balances her feminine and masculine sides, with her natural beauty and the style of the “ride or die” mentality
Contrasting Approaches to Motivate Others. There are two characters, which use contrasting approaches in how they motivated others: Agent Smith and Morpheus. Agent Smith used extrinsic methods, while Morpheus used intrinsic methods.
Agent Smith - * Agent Smith was a highly motivated employee of the Matrix system. It was apparent early in the film that he prominently displayed two of the four drivers of motivation that were discussed in the “Employee Motivation” article. They are “the drive to defend” and “the drive to acquire” (Nohria, 2008, p. 20). Agent Smith’s primary driver was the drive to defend “The Matrix.” Being a Special Agent of the Matrix, Agent Smith’s his job was to defend the system from all outside threats, like Morpheus. He saw Morpheus as a threat to the balance and justice that he Matrix system attempted to provide. The second driver of motivation displayed is the drive to acquire. Smith also needed Morpheus, as Morpheus had sensitive information that was vital to the agent’s survival. Once the agent located Morpheus, he began to interrogate him and attempted to acquire all of the information that he had about the Matrix and the rebel city of Zion. * Agent Smith used different motivation strategies on Neo, after arresting him on his job in the beginning of the film. First, he tries to persuade Neo to cooperate with him by explaining that Morpheus is a dangerous man and that it was his job to protect the world from people like him. In return for Neo’s information and cooperation, the agent offered to have Neo’s entire criminal record expunge. When Neo decided not to cooperate with Smith and the other agents the motivation strategy of the “carrot” was determined to be unsuccessful. The Agents then decided to implement the “stick” and against Neo when they held him down on a table and forced a robotic tracker bug inside Neo’s body.
Morpheus - * Morpheus was a leader who followed his beliefs and predictions from the Oracle. With no verifiable facts and official sources, Morpheus and the other surviving humans must rely on instincts and faith. His style of motivating others was intrinsic in that he did not promise tangible items or luxuries as rewards. In this post-apocalyptic world, there are no paychecks, no holidays or earned vacations. In the article, Motivation: The Not So Secret Ingredient, Southwest Airlines was identified as one of the best airlines to work for despite being the lowest entry level paying airline. This was because they built strong employee commitment through real rewards like recognition and team spirit (Harvard Business Review, 2006). In the movie, Morpheus uses the promise of “the chosen one” to motivate the crew to press forward no matter what the odds are. * Morpheus establishes trust with his people by placing himself in every dangerous mission and by training them in combat skills. When Neo joins the crew, he is doubtful that he is the chosen one. Morpheus trains with him and challenges his grasp on what is real and what his true potential is. Neo must let go of his fears of the physical realm now that he is in the Matrix and can manipulate the laws of physics in order to survive. In teams and in workplaces we must be fearful of failure, but an environment with pervasive workplace fear demotivates people and discourages the behaviors that all businesses need in order to learn or succeed (Harvard, 2006). * Morpheus demonstrated all four of the motivation drivers mentioned in the Employee Motivation. Morpheus’ drive to “acquire” revolved around the need to find the chosen one. All his hopes and efforts thus far rested upon the promise of the one who would save humankind. Morpheus felt most satisfied when he discovered Neo and trained him. His drive to bond compelled him to awaken others and bring them together under one shared cause. * Morpheus’ drive to “comprehend” was influenced by his mentor who taught him about the reality of the human race and the machines and the Matrix. The need to find the chosen one included the unlocking of truths even Morpheus had not learned. It meant a shift in the war when humankind would have a fighting chance and would better understand the world they now live in (Nohria, 2008). * Finally, Morpheus’ drive to “defend” was aimed at keeping a cohesive group that would look out for one another as well as protecting Neo and Zion above all else. The world is very dangerous. Some crewmembers were killed, as if they needed to be insinuating they needed to be sacrificed for the greater good. In one scene, Morpheus has thrown himself to the agents to keep Neo safe because he so strongly believes that Neo is the Chosen one. This drive is rooted in the basic fight-or-flight response common to most animals (Nohria, 2008). Morpheus chooses to fight while ordering Neo to escape so that he is not captured. Neo returns for Morpheus despite the threats because he believes in himself in this world now. Morpheus was all about getting his people to tap into themselves, finding their strengths and becoming more powerful.
Psychological Contract
In the movie, Cypher revealed that he was unhappy with the decision to take the “red” pill. He subtly began to leave hints and clues that he was yearning to find a way out. He invoked Neo into thought provoking conversations, attempting to influence Neo to question and his decision san his trust in Morpheus. Cypher also mentions how vividly he remembers his life prior to the committing to living for the missions of saving Zion. He is actually angry that he no longer has access, regularly as a “normal” person, to those luxuries and amenities. He can create an environment through a matrix-based program but it is not the same, as it is only temporary. This makes him even more resentful towards Morpheus and his life outside of the matrix.
Cypher was unhappy with the terms of his psychological contract. According to the Harvard Business School article, Note on Managing the Psychological Contract, this contract is the unspoken expectations of a person and an organization. However, the individual does not define this type of contract but rather those in managerial positions (page 1, 1985). The manager in this case would be Morpheus. Morpheus’s role is to “provide an organizational design that facilitates the performance of the organizational tasks, while ensuring that employees have opportunities to realize their expectations at work” (Thomas, 1985, page 5). From Cypher’s perspective, his expectation will never be realize because he was not provided full disclosure (by Morpheus) about his choice. In the movie, the audience does not see the conversation between Cypher and Morpheus, before Cypher ‘crossed over.’ Although, the scene between Neo and Morpheus, assumingly sets the tones for some of the topics that may have been addressed with Cypher as well. Topics that challenged Cypher to ponder his very existence, to assess his current and future goals, accomplishments, and ask himself how he could reach a higher level of satisfaction.
Once Cypher accepted the idea that what Morpheus described was an improvement upon his current state, they entered an intrinsic psychological contract. Cypher entered this contract with a heightened consciousness that he was doing something highly self-rewarding and satisfying (Thomas, 1985, p 8.). Eventually, Cypher believed he was have greater reward by becoming an ally to Agent Smith. He began to question the hierarchy of the ship. Morpheus was not the leader he envisioned. Morpheus never lied to his crewmembers. However, it can be said that he shared selective truths about the depth and breadth of the daily struggles in pursuit of saving Zion. Morpheus’ was the primary person to decide who joined the crew. It is difficult to determine what qualities he saw in Cypher as a person he could as a team member. Selection and development, as talked about in the article, is pertinent to how smooth processes will run, and stability of the infrastructure; as it directly influences the organizational environment (Thomas, 1985, p. 11). The crew depended on Morpheus to have discernment regarding who would help or hinder their mission. Cypher’s dysfunction cannot be blamed on Morpheus. However, it does make one wonder if Morpheus might have been over zealous adding Cypher as he was consistently anxious looking for “the one” aka Neo. A manager’s, i.e. Morpheus’s, judgment must consider how potential team members will interact with current team members. Not considering this could have severe consequences, as see in the movie. Cypher’s intent to become Agent Smith’s ally, by any means necessary, came with a great price. . Cypher’s mental turmoil was environmentally induced and self-inflicted due to his lack of trust and his loss of faith in the saving Zion. The death of several of his shipmates, as well as, losing his own life proved that what is unsaid often has more impact, than what is said in direct conversation between the employee and management
Conclusion:
This movie takes the viewer through various states of intrigue. The characters had such an impact on various parts of the humanity. The Matrix forces the viewer to assess how much of the daily lives of people is spent on things that truly do not matter i.e. material possessions. Each character possessed the qualities that showed how various personalities, working together can impact one outcome. Between Trinity’s high level of emotional quotient, social quotient and change quotient. If Agent Smith were not so highly motivated with the Matrix system, the other characters would not have the same level of motivation to save their world. Morpheus, as a strong a leader, shared as his beliefs and motivated others to share his visions. The Biblical correlations were subtle in some areas, e.g. being the chose one and very vivid in others, e.g. Neo rising from the dead. The complexity of the movie can be overwhelming when trying to understand all the various layers involved in fighting “The Matrix” However, it simply boils down to learning to appreciate life and the simple pleasures it has to offer without interference

References

(2006). In Performance Management Measure and Improve the Effectiveness of Your Employees Boston, MA. Harvard Business School Publishing.

Nohria, N., Groyberg, B., & Eling-Lee, L. (2008). Employee Motivation. Harvard Business Review.

Harvard Business School (1985) Note on Managing the Psychological Contract. HBS No. 9-474-159. Boston, MA. Harvard Business School Publishing.

Clawson, J. (2001). Leadership and Intelligence. DBP No. UV0412. Charlottesville, VA: Darden Business Publishing.